The story of Jack Johnson, the son of former slaves who, in 1908, became boxing's world heavyweight champion and subsequently courted controversy, fleeing the US in 1912 to avoid imprisonment. Johnson's story is not just a portrait of a courageous athlete, it's the story of how a nation was forced to reconcile racial supremacy with one man's determination not to be defined by his colour.

The story of Jack Johnson who became boxing's world heavyweight champion in 1908 and subsequently courted controversy in his personal life until fleeing the US in 1912 to avoid imprisonment. Johnson's story is not just a portrait of a courageous athlete, it is also the story of how a nation was forced to reconcile notions of racial supremacy with one man's determination not to be defined by his colour.